Perelandra

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The second of a trilogy, the title of the first being Out of the silent planet and that of the third That hideous strength.
Dr. Ransom is ordered to Perelandra by the supreme being, and there he finds a Garden of Eden.

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Eden Revisited submitted by pkooger on May 12, 2011, 4:42pm The second novel in Lewis' Space Trilogy finds Dr. Ransom travelling to Perelandra (Venus) for an unknown reason. He arrives to find an unsullied paradise made up of beautiful islands floating on the waves of the sea. The animals are peaceful and friendly and the plants are bursting with fruit. Shortly after Ransom's arrival, a second spacecraft crashes into the sea, bringing with it another human, possessed by an evil spirit, intent on corrupting the innocent young queen of that world. Ransom realizes that his purpose in being sent to Perelandra is to contend with the invading evil and to prevent it from bringing forth the same disaster that befell our own world in the beginning.

Lewis' second book is much more overtly allegorical than his first. A prior knowledge of the creation story of Judeo-Christianity is needed to fully appreciate the story. I really enjoyed his take on the nature of evil and free will. I generally tend to hate reading philosophy, but Lewis is a master of his craft. Every philosophical question he presents is wrapped up in a gorgeous sci-fi bow. And, the world he describes in Venus is even more breath-taking than the world of Mars. Highly recommended.

One of Lewis' best submitted by mbsymes on August 15, 2018, 5:23pm The story takes place on Venus otherwise known as Perelandra where it becomes essentially at the simpliest level an alternate telling of what the the Garden of Eden story from Genesis would look like on another world. The "Eve" in the story is unlike any Eve you've imagined and makes you think of life, death, good, evil, and sin in a "in the trenches" sort of way. Highly recommend, by far my favorite of the trilogy, hard to explain well without spoiling it, best to be discovered on your own.

Wonderful allegory! submitted by abigailmurphy on August 6, 2019, 5:32pm C. S. Lewis is probably my favorite author, and this is definitely one of my favorite books by him. I love this book.

Life Changing submitted by thesrays on August 25, 2019, 7:40pm Long after I'd finished this book, I pondered the life lessons presented here. This is a book I could read every year and still never plumb the depths. One of my favorite books of all time.

Not like his other books submitted by steeny17 on July 12, 2020, 5:18pm The Space Trilogy is not your typical C. S. Lewis book. I've heard it said that Fantasy is inherently optimistic (giving heroes the opportunity to shine in the midst of a dark world) whereas Science Fiction is inherently pessimistic (looking forward to a world in which, despite all our outward progress, evil endures). While many books fight against this theory, C. S. Lewis seems to be the proof of it. Compared with many of his other works of fiction, Peralandra is gritty and challenging. While worth the read, prepare yourself to battle alongside Ransom against the forces of evil.

My favorite of the Space Trilogy submitted by KatieD on August 19, 2021, 11:49am Of the three books of the Space Trilogy, this is my favorite. Ransom is once again called upon to be the hero and this time, he heads to Venus. Venus has new life on it and this book is essentially C.S. Lewis's retelling of the story of the Garden of Eden.